Immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy is a relatively recent advance in the treatment of several types of cancer and has received much media attention. As healthcare professionals gain more experience with checkpoint inhibitors, it is important for them to understand that the toxicity profiles of these drugs differ from those of chemotherapeutic agents.

Patients’ perceptions of worrisome chemotherapy-related side effects have evolved since the 1980s and 1990s, according to a recent survey of women with breast and ovarian cancers that was reported at the 2017 European Society for Medical Oncology Congress.

Central obesity increases the risk for developing cancer in postmenopausal women more than high body mass index (BMI) and fat percentage, according to a study reported at the 2017 European Society for Medical Oncology Congress.

“Our study shows that women who received modern breast radiation therapy overwhelmingly found the treatment experience far better than expected,” said Susan McCloskey, MD, MSHS, at the 2017 American Society for Radiation Oncology annual meeting.

“Increasing use of netupitant plus palonosetron would potentially help greater numbers of patients avoid chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting, relieving them of the more debilitating complications of anticancer therapy,” said Li Zhang, MD, at the 2017 MASCC Annual Meeting.

Healthcare practitioners can now tell their patients with stage III colon cancer that eating tree nuts (eg, walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, cashews, and pecans) and maintaining a healthy lifestyle can improve their chances of overall survival as well as recurrence-free survival.